LITTLE ROCK — Heber Springs native and former Speaker of the House Bill Stovall will add another line to his resumé this fall.
Stovall, chief operating officer of the Arkansas House of Representatives, will start Oct. 1 as executive director of the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges.
The issues surrounding the institutions are familiar to Stovall, who received an associate degree from Pulaski Tech. He was on the Cleburne County Quorum Court in 1998 when Arkansas State University at Heber Springs was developed.
“There’s no question that it’s the single most important thing we could have ever done to promote [the Heber Springs] area and provide affordable, accessible college to our seniors in the area,” Stovall said.
As executive director, Stovall said he hopes to continue the work of retiring director Ed Franklin. He said Franklin has been integral in helping improve the public’s view of the opportunities the state’s two-year colleges provide.
“People are no longer referring to them as ‘junior colleges’ and recognize them as degree-granting institutions,” Stovall said.
Stovall said two-year colleges are vital in Arkansas because they provide options for graduating seniors and nontraditional students who can’t pick up roots and move to attend a four-year college.
“As inflation continues to hit every family in America, access to affordable, quality education locally becomes more important,” Stovall said.
Attending college in a place that allows students to live at home could alleviate peer pressure and other distractions that may come with living on campus, Stovall said.
In his first year with the association, Stovall said his main goals include securing necessary funding for the 22 two-year colleges in the state to keep tuition costs low.
“I hope in the first year that we can communicate and network well at the state Capitol to build relationships of trust,” Stovall said. “We want to let them know we’re only there to ask what we believe is necessary and not overreach.”
Staff writer Emily Van Zandt can be reached at 501-399-3688 or evanzandt@arkansasonline.com.